Series 5000: Students

5123 Promotion/Retention

Promotion/Acceleration/Retention

The Board of Education is dedicated to the best total and continuous development of each student enrolled in its  schools. Therefore, the District will establish and maintain the highest standards required for each grade and monitor student performance in a continuous and systematic manner. The administration and faculty shall establish a system of grading and reporting academic achievement to students and their parents and guardians. The system shall be used to determine if promotion and graduation requirements are met. The decision to promote a student to the next grade level shall be based on demonstrated and assessed successful completion of the  curriculum, attendance, performance on the statewide mastery assessments and other testing instruments.  Retention will be based on the combined professional judgement of the school principal, teachers, guidance  counselors and/or support personnel. Retention should take place as early in a student's educational career as  possible. 

Students shall be promoted on the basis of academic achievement and social and emotional maturity. Students  who, on the basis of objective measures of academic proficiency, can reasonably be expected to meet the  instructional/learning objectives at the next educational level will be promoted. 

The Board of Education will approve the grading and reporting systems developed by the administration and faculty upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools. 

The Board desires to minimize/eliminate the practice of promoting students to the next grade level for social  reasons even though they are failing academically. The Board expects students to progress through each grade usually within one school year. To accomplish this, instruction should accommodate the varying interests and  growth patterns of individual students and include strategies for addressing substantial academic deficiencies when needed. Students shall progress through the grade levels by demonstrating growth in learning and meeting  objective grade-level standards of achievement. The student's readiness for work at the next grade level shall be  required before he/she is promoted. 

Progress toward high school graduation will be based on the student's ability to pass the required subjects and  electives necessary to earn the required number of credits necessary for graduation, meeting the credit distribution  requirement. The student must also satisfactorily demonstrate the district's performance standards, assessed in part  by the statewide mastery assessments. Students who have not successfully completed the assessment criteria shall  participate in a course of study designed to assist them attain a satisfactory level of competency prior to  graduation. When high academic achievement is evident, the Superintendent or his/her designee may approve a  student for acceleration into a higher grade level. The student's social and emotional growth will be taken into  consideration in making a determination to accelerate a student. 

Schools are directed to identify students in danger of retention. This identification shall also include those students who fail to meet the remedial standards of the statewide assessment programs. Prior to deciding on retention for a student, the district will provide and may require the student to attend one or more alternatives for  remedial assistance. Opportunities, provided for supplemental and remedial instruction to assist the student in overcoming his/her academic deficiencies, may include but are not limited to, after-school tutorial programs, Saturday tutorial programs, summer school, Reading Recovery, instruction during school vacations or during  week-end programs, cross-age tutoring or student mentoring. 

Note: Priority school districts are required to evaluate the reading level of students in grades one to three, inclusive, and to develop and implement a personal reading plan for students found to be substantially deficient in reading on measures established by the State Board of Education. 

The personal reading plan shall include additional instruction, within available appropriations, such as tutoring, an after-school, school vacation, or weekend program or a summer reading program. 

Promotion of students with personal reading plans from first, second or third grade shall be based on documented  progress in achieving the goals of the personal reading plan or demonstrated reading proficiency. A decision to  promote a student who is substantially deficient in reading from first, second, or third grade must be justified in  writing by the school principal to the Superintendent.

Within available appropriation, students in grades one to three, inclusive, who based on an end of the year  evaluation, are determined to be substantially deficient in reading, shall be required to attend school the summer  following such evaluation. The Superintendent may exempt an individual student from such requirement upon the  recommendation of the school principal based on the student's progress with the student's personal reading plan. If a student does not receive such an exemption, has been offered the opportunity to attend summer school, the Board shall not promote the student to the next grade. 

Students in grades four, five and six, judged deficient in reading and provided with personal reading plans and  additional instruction, who fail to make progress shall attend summer school; within available appropriations, the  summer following the school year in which they failed to make such progress. The Superintendent may exempt an  individual student from such requirement based upon the school principal's recommendation. If the student does not receive such an exemption, and has been offered the opportunity to attend a summer school program and fails to attend summer school, he/she shall not be promoted to the next grade. 

In all cases of promotion or retention, the parent/guardian is to be fully involved and informed throughout the  promotion/retention decision-making process. Parents will be notified as early as possible that retention is being  considered and except in very unusual circumstances, no later than April 15. The Principal shall be responsible for  making the final decision as to retention and assignment. 

(cf. 5124 - Reporting to Parents) 

(cf. 6146 - Graduation Requirements) 

(cf. 6146.1 - Grading System) 

Legal Reference:

Connecticut General Statutes 

10-221(b) Boards of education to prescribe rules. 

10-223a Promotion and graduation policies. Basic skills necessary for graduation; assessment process 

10-265g Summer reading programs required for priority school districts. Evaluation of student reading level. Personal reading plans. 

10-265l Requirements for additional instruction for poor performing students in priority school districts; exemption. Summer school required; exemption (as amended by PA 99-288, PA 01- 173, PA 03-174 and PA 06-135) 

Policy adopted: May 8, 2023 THOMASTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Thomaston, CT 

Placement, promotion, or retention shall be made in the best interests of the student after a careful evaluation of all the factors relating to the advantages and disadvantages of alternatives. 

Students will normally progress annually from grade to grade or level to level. Exceptions may be made when, in the judgment of the certified staff, such exceptions are in the best educational  interest of the students involved. The major criterion to be used by the certified staff in  recommending such exceptions (acceleration or retention) shall be that such acceleration or  retention will provide a more appropriate educational program for the student than the alternative  (i.e., Normal annual promotion). Exceptions will always be made after prior notification and  explanation to each student’s parents or guardian, but the final decision will rest with the school  authorities. 

In placing, retaining or promoting a student, the administration will consider not only the child’s academic achievement and needs, but the child’s age, his/her social and emotional maturity and  needs,and the wishes or the child’s parents. 

Legal Reference:

Connecticut General Statutes 

10-221(b) Boards of education to prescribe rules 

Policy adopted: May 8, 2023 THOMASTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS  Thomaston, CT